Two-speed lawn mower



Patented June 28, 1949 @This l .invention .1 Jrelates-to lawn wmowers, f and more particularlyt to )the :production-10i anla/wn lmmower rcapablenof per-forming satisfactorily'j-in .t either `longl or short grass. Thepresent appl-ication` corresponds Ltoabandoned application iii-*aerial 0.".57350lcfiled-I-Novemberf 4 1931. Y@Aslwell@V yknown'to those` 'familiar `awith: the -1 artthe-smoothest cuttingloperation-lbyathe lawn -mower isperformedrwith the cuttingllreelc operating at a; fairlyihign speedf andffas asmatterf-oi Mafact, attrae-:highest practicalspeed. IQperation at high speeds is readily possible in-shortgrass 'fwherethe resistancefftomovement =of-4 the# mower voverthe ground is reduced and resistancefto/rota- Ation of 'the 1ree1-- occursl only during f the #cutting @operation Where -theigrass is lhighlthere' occurs mot-:only an-increase=in `resistance-to movement `o`1-the mowen ibut likewise an increase infresstsance to the-rotationjofthereel! for thel'reelfmust act not onlyi vto 'perform l the necessary A' cutting posedfin itswpath. i It is,-thereiore,=fanf'objectof this invention to-produce ya ilawn mower capable .cof i reel 4operationwat either :1 high =or= low speeds `and in which-the-ohange` `fronti-h `ifmayi:beireadily effectedf sof that` thetmoweramay be adapted for use in eitherilongorlshort"grass. Au still further. objectaofethe linventionnisi the production` inianfapparatus-of thisl characteraof an-:arrangement,suchwthat F'Lthe necessary gearing l changesfito, .provide :the changeable speeds flofifthe reel lmayllbe so disposed that )they i necessitate gzlttlenorfno fchangetinslthef .ordinary lawnfmower `.construction as regards internal mechanismsiand even iless changeiinathe.= loutward;-a1;-pearance of ulated and which isnsondisposedhthat it is unnecessary to-employ-anylother tools than a screw tliir 'slaa-nlllifweheallla'whiihnatuilBiSime time will securely maintain ,theeselection These .andreiher Qbiecisl attainby the @Orlstruction `shown `in the accompanying drawings wherein, for the purposefiofifillustration,sli-have @shown aapreierred embodiment fof myiiinvention a ndwherein:

iFig. i lffisiaperspective viewnot a lawnmdwer ,l

constructed in accordance with my invention;

If'igflZfis an enlarged sectional-idetaillfasi'seen at 2--2 of Fig. 1i

fFig. 1314s an:l enlarged plan-view showingtthe speed-control 5 11Fig1f4 isasectioniondineM- of'fFigS; and l Figi-5 l is a ysection :onf linei 5-15'01 li5ig.= 4.

This inventioncomprises essentiallythe provision in a-lawnmower-of fa-main`di`1ivels`ha ft jourfinaled'inspacedkhousin'gs. iEachlend-ornitheidritfe Shaft hasafrigidlyw mounted, gearf-butflme gear at one end of the shaft is larger than theopposite 5 gear. Thel l conventional rllawnrnower wheels #are Lfrotatably rmoun'tedfion "f-theidrive shaft-`and are provided `with a ratcheting connection i 'between l5 the hub of each driving wheerandthecorrespondwing `gear onE the-1drive *shaft A knifeH-reel is journaledf'intheirearward portion of" ea'chfhousring and1 thei `reel 'shaft/extends fintof the lhoueing fand is Vprovidedfat'feach-endwith a slidablefgear, OO- `permittingrselective#engagementwith each end voi'thereelShait :Acompound gearisinterposed ffiriterinediata the imain shaftlgear--vand the-lre`el shaiftfgear -on Seither sideY -but the hubs -of V`the compound .gearshare` offdiierent diametersiso f, 3 thatfwhen the-reel is drivenV throng-h; liorexam-pie, the right'hand-gearl-itrain; aldifferent gear-ratio hisA achievedV than whenithe 'reel lisldrivenf through *ivtheleftmandegear train. AMeans V'for engaging hand disenga'gfing the reelshaft'lgears isprovided f sothatthe reel may be selectively drivenv through eithergean-train.

'cRe'ferringnmv more particularly tol the ydraw- Aingsf'altwo-speedillawnrnower`oonstructedl inf acifcordancellwith *the invention is provided with ia ypairr1of :gear ehousings iI4 andi l I lmaintainedi in f spaced l"relation Ixwith respect` to each other l'lsv "-means-oa tubular memberlZranda conventional cutter -bar l i3 "mountedA iny lextensions 5 l 4 and 'iff 5 attached `to housings I!! and H. A"Ifhelawnrriower ly is Vprovided withi the @usual `adjustable rol-ler 16 sand:handle'assemhlyir'l.

A=lma`in shaftitiis journaled near the forward `portionrofshousings iii Ui and H vhyineansoffselflraligning-bearingsi49 and 20 `retainedin theihous- 5 ings by set screws 2l and 22. ShaitiiB-:exten-ds axiallyithroughihousngsifiikandf i It and-journals ,amair` of driving `wheels?Haarlak-2li ateachi end. `Therhubs lofithe 1drivin-g wheels 1 are-l rigidly tlreyed i ;to sleeves 2 5 aand 1126 which L-extend"v inside housings I0 and Il respectivelyand-:ar-eprovidedzwith i-teeth :3| sand son ugears1:13?,aand F34. "The -individual ratcheting actionieofzlawmnowerwheels is well known and enables the lawnmower to be turned around corners and also to be pulled backwards to facilitate grass cutting.

Referring now to Fig. 2, it will be noted that left-hand gear 33 has a greater pitch diameter than right-hand gear 34. Each gear is nonrotatably but slidably attached to shaft i3 by means of pins 35 and 35, extending through shaft I8 and fitting in slots 3l and 33 in the hubs of gears 33 and 313 respectively. A compound gear 39 is journaled on pin fill in housing il and is provided with a smaller gear 39a meshing with gear 33. The larger gear 39h of compound gear 39 meshes with a slidable gear il which is mounted on the reel shaft 42.

Referring now to housing it, compound gear 43 is journaled in housing lll by means of pin M and similarly has a smaller gear i3d meshing with gear 34 and a larger gear [i311 which meshes with reel shaft gear di mounted on the opposite end of reel shaft 42.

It will be understood that the number of teeth in the large sections 32o and 43h of compound gears 39 and 43 is the same for each gear and that gears il and 4l are therefore interchangeable. However, the diierence in ratio between the gears in housings ld and il is achieved oy providing a smaller ratio between gear 34 and gear sa than is provided between gear 33 and gear 39a..

Reel shaft 62 is journaled in housings l@ and H by means of annular bearings d5, 45 and is provided with the conventional knives do, i6 mounted on arms 41, A1.

Each gear ll, 4i comprises a hub portion 4 3 the inner end of which has the bore thereof increased as indicated. at 49 and is :formed at the inner end vwall of this bore with slots 55B to receive the ends of a pin l projecting through the shaft d2. The gear at the inner end of the outer face thereof is formed with a groove 52 receiving a shifting pin 53 carried by a rotatable shifting button 5d mounted in the housing wall. rihe periphery of this shifting button has an annular groove 55 provided at diametrically opposed points with coves 56 in'its bottom wall. Mounted in the housing is a spring-pressed plunger 5l adapted to slidably engagein groove 55 and having a tip 5S to engage in coves 56. The head of button 511 may be slotted as at 59 or otherwise adapted for engagement by a tool to rotate the same and is preferably provided with legends til* coacting with index Si upon the housing so that an indication of the speed obtained may be provided.

Whenever it is desired to change from one speed tofanother, it is simply necessary to rotate buttons lill until the indices 6| coact with the legends corresponding to the desired speed. In each case the rotation will be through 180 degrees, this rotation through pins 53 shifting the associated gears 4l, di so that the gear which was previously clutched to the shaft 42 is disengaged therefrom and the gear which was previously free is engaged with the shaft.

It will be noted that the space required to accommodate the gear trains as disclosed is little, if any, larger than the space ordinarily required to accommodate the driven train of the ordinary single speed lawn mower.

Since the construction employed is, obviously, capable of a considerable range of change and modification without in any manner departing from the spirit of the invention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. A two-speed lawnmower assembly comprising a pair of spaced housings, a main shaft journaled in said housings, a pair of driving wheels journaled on said main shaft, a reel shaft journaled in said housing, a gear mounted at each end of said reel shaft, means operatively associated with said gears for selectively clutching and declutching said gears to the reel shaft, a gear train in each housing connecting each reel shaft gear to the main shaft, said gear trains being of different -ratios whereby when one reel shaft gear is clutched to the reel shaft a relatively slow speed of the reel is attained, and when the opposite gear is clutched to the reel shaft, a relatively high reel shaft speed is attained.

2. A lawnmower constructed in accordance with claim 1, in which the main shaft is provided with driving gears at opposite ends, said driving gears having different pitch diameters, ratcheting means between each driving gear and its cooperating drive wheel, a compound gear in each housing, said compound gears having the same pitch diameter for their larger gears, and different pitch diameters for their smaller gears, the smaller compound gears meshing with the driving gears on the main shaft, and means operatively associated with said gears for axially sliding the reel shaft gears on the reel shaft to selectively drive the reel shaft through either compound gear.

3. A two-speed lawnmower assembly comprising a pair of driving wheels, a pair of housings in spaced relation adjacent said driving wheels, transverse spacing and supporting means for said housings, a drive shaft near the forward end of said housings and journaled therein, a reel journaled near the rearward end of said housings, driving connections in said housings between. the reel and the main shaft, the driving connections in one housing providing a different speed ratio between the reel and the main shaft than the driving connections in the other housing, and means operatively connected to said drive connection for selectively engaging and disengaging sai driving connections.

4. A two-speed lawnmower assembly in accordance with claim 3 in which the means for selectively engaging said driving connections comprises a cam mounted in each housing andoperable from outside the housing to engage and disengage the driving connection in each housing 'with the reel.

5. A two-speed lawnmower assembly in accordance with claim 3 in which the means for selectively engaging said driving connections comprises a cam mounted in each housing and oper* able from outside the housing to engage and dis.- engage the driving connection in each housing with the reel, and an indicator on said housing showing the position of the cam.

SAMUEL P. TownsENn.

REFERENCES CITED l The following referenlces are of record in th file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,160,297 Lockwood Nov. 16., 1915 1,279,267 Coldwell Sept. 17, 1918 1,401,156 Jenkins Dec. 27, 1921 

